St. Patrickâ€™s Day is not harmless

Marvin Sosna claims that our county â€œhas it all wrong about Mardi Gras.â€? As Mr. Sosna offhandedly suggests, these religious festivals, be it Mardi Gras or Saint Patrickâ€™s Day, are about â€œdance contests, a treasure hunt through town, concerts, art shows,â€? and perhaps even drinking. I never knew topless girls or angry riots fell into these benign categories. Even Tom Coffey, the head of the Dublin City Business Association, admits their own raucous celebration is â€œdamaging the parade and the environment for tourists.â€?